Help me learning how to cook?

MissFlawed

I'm a young woman in her early twenties.. My mom always disliked to cook and while the food wasn't bad, you could taste that there was no passion behind it (if thet makes sense).

Now me, I don't seem to be able to put something on the table that makes me go 'Yum!'.. Especially now I'm trying to watch my macros (why do all of the recipes have so much fat?) On top of that, I'm a college student that lives on her own, I do not have much money. Don't expect me to buy blueberries, not even the frozen ones, that stuff is expensive!

So here I am, exercising daily and eating my healthy food, watching my macros... But not being to able to eat something that's actually tasty makes me crave all of the bad food even more.

Are there any experienced cooks here that would like to help me in my learning process towards becoming an actual good and healthy cook that can put delicious stuff on the table?

MissFlawed

Also, I am mainly looking for nice dinner and treats recipes!

kommodevaran

Fat is good for you, makes cooking a lot easier (almost impossible to screw up), makes food taste delicious, satiating, and it's cheap.

I can't cook, but I do it anyway. I just keep it simple. Boil some rice, add salt, soy sauce. Pork chop, or salmon filet, salt and pepper, in the oven. Peas or green beans, defrost, in the oven. Dice and boil potatoes or sweet potato. Drain, mash, add butter, chopped chili, milk. I can make chili, spaghetti bolognese, risotto, chili, soups, smoothies, porridge, parfaits. I need taste, and I love food now that I'm not afraid of fat anymore.

MissFlawed

@kommodevaran

Absolutely true what you said about the fat! However, my goal at the end of the day says around 50g of fat a day.. For me that doesn't seem to leave much fat for cooking (10g at most). You can look in my diary if you want to, it should be open (some stuff is in Dutch though, English ain't my mother tongue).

It seems like if I eat a bit of peanut butter, have some cheese... Whoppa, not much fat left for a decent dinner.

queenliz99

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10163772/i-am-a-chef-who-is-into-nutrition-and-fitness-ask-me-anything/p1

This thread may help you

kommodevaran

Your diary isn't open, you can change that here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Calories is most important, then protein. You can always change your macro split to lean more on fat. I'm in maintenance, abt 1700 calories, and I have around 70 grams of fat a day. That's not excessive, but plenty. For cooking, or as topping for porridge, I use no more than a teaspoon of fat, 5 grams. But I use full fat meat and dairy. I love cheese and peanut butter too If you want to look at my diary, feel free, but the foods are Norwegian and the last entry (before I migrated to Fitbit) is in April.

MissFlawed

@queenliz99
Aww thank you! Going to check it out right now

@kommodevaran

Peanut butter and cheese.. Something I won't give up.

Sorry about the diary, changed it! I'm on 1500, slowly losing some weight (I'm not overweight, just want to get more lean).

And well the problem I often have with food is that it just tastes so bland... Add salt they say, then it just tastes more like salt!

dubird

Look for a book called "Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen!". It's actually a really good resource for people that didn't learn to cook growing up. It walks you through a lot of things and includes some easy recipes so you can learn how to cook actual food that doesn't involve the directions of "remove from box and put in microwave". ^_^

Cooking for yourself will always be healthier then relying on prepackaged foods. Prepackaged foods have a purpose, but they shouldn't be an every day food. By cooking your meal, you can control everything that goes into it, and I think you'll find that you'll end up saving money in the long term.

kommodevaran

Oh, bland food... that was why I overate and got fat. I need taste! I would binge on chocolate and chips and ice cream because "normal" food tasted so bland. Turned out it was the low-fat food that was bland. More full fat foods, and less junk, and my tastebuds recognize and appreciate normal food. I see you have lots of low fat/zero fat in your diary. I'd suggest you try some full fat versions instead. The calories saved on low fat aren't many, and you'll need less of the real deal to be satisfied. Looks like we like lots of the same foods, I can see tuna, smoked salmon, bananas, oatmeal Jonge kaas - that's "young cheese", right? That's mild. Try some mature cheeses: First Brie, then go on to Gorgonzola and Roquefort and Stilton. And pickles. Lamb chops. Sweet potatoes. Sardines. I love European food

(OK, sweet potatoes are hardly European, but you get my drift )

MissFlawed

@dubird

LOL, I love that title. I am SO going to look for that!!
And yes, I completely agree! I actually have been cooking for myself for the past year! It just tastes.... Meh. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

@kommodevaran

I couldn't agree more with you. I crave pizza, just because I want something that tastes delicious..

And yeah I really love cheese, all kinds of cheese... Problem is that it's usually too expensive for my wallet. I end up buying the store brand young cheese, because it's cheap... It's not bad but... Oh well...

Absolutely adore oatmeal, I simply eat it every morning, never get bored of it.

Other than that, I could eat full fat yoghurt instead of the 0 percent version I'm using now.. I miss the creamy texture... But.. Calories ... Grrrr.

Smoked salmon, if only I could afford it.. I'd probably eat it everyday as well.
Can't say I'm such a big fan of canned tuna though.. I eat it because it's a cheap source of protein.. I used it in a quiche and it tastes... Meh. I wish I could do more with it!

Our conversation has made me salivate.

kommodevaran

Try to mix the tuna with a little mayo and finely chopped onion. I eat that on crispbread.

Lol to salivation! If you want to salivate even more, have a look at this (I had to google Wortelpuree):
http://www.een.be/programmas/dagelijkse-kost/recepten/varkenskotelet-met-wortelstoemp

Dutch is so spookly similar to Norwegian, if we can just get over the pharyngal sounds

MissFlawed

@kommodevaran

Ahh, you found one of the best Flemish (Dutch) cooks in my country, he absolutely ADORES to throw fat on everything . Maybe I should follow his example a bit more. I never dared trying his recipes out because they often have so many (expensive) ingredients... But hey, I might as well try to find some cheaper ones of him and start with them. There has to be a reason that he's so popular and his videos are always very easy to follow... Why not? Let's try!

Do you use the recipe function on MFP a lot?

I'll try your tip with the tuna.. Actually investing in some good bread would be a good idea as well.. The store brand version is so bland, makes me go crazy.. Can I precook the onion? I really love me some caramelized onion.

Thanks btw for helping me out so much ^^. I'm getting all motivated to start cooking tomorrow.

sheermomentum

Just about any recipe can be made over to have fewer calories. For starters, you can almost always greatly reduce the amount of oil or butter called for. You can add more vegetables, use less rice, potatoes or pasta. Or, as many will tell you, you can just have a smaller portion. The real question is, what do you WANT to cook? Why not start with something based on skinless boneless chicken, as its a fairly low-calorie protein and less expensive than beef. If you find even one chicken recipe that you want to try, but you think its too high-calorie, either I or any number of other people here can help you make it lighter. However for cheap, good meals, I have one word for you: beans. Black beans, red beans, lentils, chick peas...there are dozens of ways to prepare them and all of them are filling and cheap (as long as you start with dried beans, they are Extremely cheap). Are you interested in cooking anything in the legume family?

kommodevaran

There is a reason cooks use a lot of fat (and no, it's not just to be cruel ) This is normal, everyday food, and you can usually drop or exchange most ingredients from any recipe and still have a great dish, and yes, I think you should try! It took me a long time to work up the courage to add more fat to my diet, I had heard all my life that fat is fattening and clog your arteries But I need fat, and pork chops are better for me than copious amounts of chocolate

I do indeed use the recipe function here, it is slow and cumbersome, but the best alternative I have tried.

If you caramelize the onion, it will not have the same taste, but I don't see why that should be a bad thing. Give it a try!

MissFlawed

sheermomentum wrote: »

Black beans, red beans, lentils, chick peas...there are dozens of ways to prepare them and all of them are filling and cheap (as long as you start with dried beans, they are Extremely cheap). Are you interested in cooking anything in the legume family?

Jup, love me some beans (all kinds). I'd especially like to learn a nice bean soup for the winter! One that fits the budget though.. Haven't been able to find that yet.

MissFlawed

kommodevaran wrote: »

There is a reason cooks use a lot of fat (and no, it's not just to be cruel )

Don't they just want to torment us? Really?

Hmm ok.. I'll up the fat and lower the carbs.. I don't seem to reach my carb goal anyway. You convinced me.... Now............................ What kind of fat? There are so many! Though I'm not a fan of the expensive all organic -fill in strange seed name here- kind of oils...

I am so curious about that tuna now... I wish I had some mayo so I could make it for school tomorrow... I really hope it's good, could make such a great lunch! =D

CurlyCockney

There are some easy recipes on http://www.jamieshomecookingskills.com/recipe-categories.php and there's a whole section on cooking skills (I made the chilli con carne earlier this week, and even I couldn't mess it up!)

kommodevaran

MissFlawed wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

There is a reason cooks use a lot of fat (and no, it's not just to be cruel )

Don't they just want to torment us? Really?

Hmm ok.. I'll up the fat and lower the carbs.. I don't seem to reach my carb goal anyway. You convinced me.... Now............................ What kind of fat? There are so many! Though I'm not a fan of the expensive all organic -fill in strange seed name here- kind of oils...

I am so curious about that tuna now... I wish I had some mayo so I could make it for school tomorrow... I really hope it's good, could make such a great lunch! =D

Natural is best. You don't have to go organic (it's mostly just a label to justify it being more expensive). Besides naturally fatty products (skin-on chicken, pork chops with fat, whole milk etc), and tuna in sunflower oil etc, I use ordinary, salted butter, olive oil, and either sunflower or rapeseed oil.

Beware that tuna - and onion - has a strong smell. Just in case you'll be eating it in school, and if you have friends

sheermomentum

MissFlawed wrote: »

sheermomentum wrote: »

Black beans, red beans, lentils, chick peas...there are dozens of ways to prepare them and all of them are filling and cheap (as long as you start with dried beans, they are Extremely cheap). Are you interested in cooking anything in the legume family?

Jup, love me some beans (all kinds). I'd especially like to learn a nice bean soup for the winter! One that fits the budget though.. Haven't been able to find that yet.

A pound of dried beans should cost about $2 and makes a potful. It really does not get any cheaper than that.

Here's a random recipe for navy bean soup that I just pulled of the internet:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/72253/grandma-bs-bean-soup/

1 pound dry navy beans
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups cubed cooked ham

I would cut the amount of ham in half, myself, to save calories, but it would also save money. Or you could just cook maybe 2-3 pieces of bacon in the pot, measure out the rendered fat, leaving a couple of tablespoons in the mix and getting rid of the rest (if any), and then chop up the cooked bacon and add it back (and freeze the left over bacon for later). Lots of flavor, not alot of fat. I think you could make this recipe for maybe $6 or $7 dollars max, and that's going to come to about a dollar a serving.

Where you are going to spend money, if you really want to learn to cook, is in herbs and spices. But these tend to last a long time, so it really is an investment. Which, by the way, I would also probably add some thyme to this

MissFlawed

kommodevaran wrote: »

Natural is best. You don't have to go organic (it's mostly just a label to justify it being more expensive). Besides naturally fatty products (skin-on chicken, pork chops with fat, whole milk etc), and tuna in sunflower oil etc, I use ordinary, salted butter, olive oil, and either sunflower or rapeseed oil.

Beware that tuna - and onion - has a strong smell. Just in case you'll be eating it in school, and if you have friends

Agreed so much about the organic label.. It seems to be abused quite often here.

Oh yeah I really should switch to tuna in oil.. I currently use tuna in water.... So.... Dry....


Hmm salted butter, olive oil and sunflower oil are things I actually have in my kitchen at this very moment.... This could work! =D

And hah well, my friends are already used to me munching on carrots. They make the most obnoxious sound ever.
Crack, cnap, crack, cnap. Now they'll have to get used to the lovely scent of tuna........ Poor things

And hah whole milk would be a nice change.. I've been drinking skim milk and it has just zero taste...

Just one question.. What about the calories? I already have a bit of trouble eating 1500 kcal while I'm on the low fat versions.. How will I manage?

kommodevaran

I like your sense of humor

If this fat experiment works for you: You will notice that you get full on a smaller amount. Maybe you won't feel it so much in your stomach, as in all over, in every cell - a feeling of relaxation and contentment. And it will last. When you get hungry, you won't feel an urgent need.to.eat.now. Cravings will become less of a problem (if they bother you). Try to add a variety of vegetables, too. The nutrients and fiber in them do also have a satiating effect (and the fat helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals).